Expert: Green Vault only robbed because of security gaps
According to Butz Peters, a lawyer and journalist familiar with the case, the theft of the jewels from the Historic Green Vault in Dresden was "only possible because of blatant security flaws" at the Dresden State Art Collections. "There were a number of mishaps, miscalculations and misconduct," he told the German Press Agency on the fourth anniversary of the spectacular break-in. For example, an attack from outside or at night was unthinkable for those responsible, monitoring was incomplete and there was no comprehensive security concept for the museum.
In his new book "The Clan and the Jewels", Peters, who also hosted the ZDF program "Aktenzeichen XY - ungelöst" for several years, also describes the spectacular coup, the investigations, the trial and how a clan works using the example of the Remmos - the five people convicted as perpetrators belong to the well-known extended Berlin family of Arab origin.
The term clan crime is controversial because, according to critics, it stigmatizes and discriminates against people with a migration background simply because of their family affiliation and origin.
The theft of the gold coin in Berlin in 2017 showed "how something like this works", said Peters. There too, as later at the Dresden Residenzschloss, the electronic protection did not work at one point. "Only electronics can help against professional burglars like this, they all crack grilles." It was only during the reconstruction of the crime that the Dresden police were astonished that the scanner for the outer shell of the museum did not respond at all. "To this day, nobody knows why." This "blind spot", in which the entrance window used by the perpetrators was located, had been dragged around in the files for years, but no action had been taken - and after a false alarm on the evening before the crime, the system had not been switched on again.
"The pivotal point is the invisible electronic curtain, which was not checked to ensure that it was working properly," said Peters. Technicians regularly maintained the scanners, "but never really tested whether they would react if someone climbed over the fence". The perpetrators even tested this on several nights before they struck and tried out "whether or not the alarm would be triggered", said Peters. It remained unclear in the proceedings why the security guards were unaware of this, which is documented on the surveillance videos. "They must have been asleep", said Peters, "in whatever form". In addition, there were neither external checks nor practical alarm drills.
The art theft from Saxony's famous Treasury Museum is considered one of the most spectacular in Germany. The perpetrators stole 21 historical pieces of jewelry made of diamonds and diamonds with a total value of 116.8 million euros and caused over one million euros in damage. As part of a deal in the trial, the majority was returned at the end of 2022. In May, the district court sentenced five young men from the Remmo clan to several years' imprisonment, including for the arson of a getaway car in the underground garage of a residential building and an electricity distributor. The investigation into the case is still ongoing - the search is still on for the sixth perpetrator and the rest of the loot, among other things.
Despite the notoriety of the Crime in Dresden's Green Vault, many Museums continue to overlook the importance of robust Security measures. Visitors might find it intriguing to learn about the role of Technology in preventing such Crimes in a dedicated section of a Museum.
Source: www.dpa.com
